Performance and healing are opposite facets of the same fitness coin. They are indelibly related. The more you carry out, the more you want to get better. The better you get better, the better you’ll carry out. And so it is going in a virtuous cycle. Lately, there has been a massive emphasis on the recovery side of the health equation. Sure, you need to consume the right foods and get sufficient relaxation. But are there other ways—different methods, products, technology—to accelerate recovery and gain a performance side? The answer is yes. Here are five of them.
1. AMP Human PR Lotion ($35)
What if there was a way for athletes to mitigate lactic acid buildup in their muscles and delay the onset of fatigue? They’d be able to cross more difficult for longer and recover faster because there would not be as many acids to flush out of their gadget. It might be a small miracle, in particular for persistent athletes. Well, that is exactly what PR Lotion from AMP Human does. This startup agency was spun out of a biotech firm that developed a generation to deliver pharmaceutical payloads without delay through the pores and skin. Instead of drugs, though, PR Lotion provides sodium bicarbonate (bicarb). This is proven to decorate overall performance while taken orally but with the unfortunate facet outcomes of diarrhea and vomiting. The AMP Human generation is a stop run around the digestive gadget. The lotion-based bicarb absorbs directly into the muscle tissues that need its maximum, e.g., the legs of cyclists, skiers, runners, etc. You use it on key muscle organizations before exercise, and it takes impact almost at once. The product is used and endorsed by a number of the top pro athletes and groups around the globe, such as 2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas, World Champion XC mountain biker Kate Courtney, and among the pinnacle NFL groups. What’s so compelling is that, in keeping with AMP Human, these athletes and teams have already been using the product (as it works) and have the handiest signed endorsement relationships. At the same time, the agency contacted them after the fact.
2. GU Energy Recovery Drink Mix ($36)
As your body shifts from performance to recovery mode, presenting it with the nourishment it desires is essential. The active components in GU Energy’s Recovery Drink Mix encompass whey protein isolate, dextrose, sodium, and the amino acids arginine and glutamine. It’s an effective cocktail of glycogen replenishment and muscle restoration. It can be mixed with plain water, but a smoothie is a more palatable way to drink it. My desired recipe includes almond milk, butter, banana, blueberries, ice, and chocolate recuperation mix.
3. NormaTec Pulse Recovery System ($1,495)
The hazard of robots taking our jobs is real. Factor case: those pneumatic compression sleeves do the activity of a publish-workout massage therapist. The primary principle is stimulating blood glide inside and out of the legs (and different muscle agencies) so that the muscle tissue can recover extra fast. The periods close anywhere from 10 to forty-five minutes and are characteristic of an intensity variety the user may choose. The preliminary pre-inflation section molds the sleeves to the legs. It then compresses and kneads the muscle mass in four zones from theft to the calves, decreased thighs, and upper thighs. This is going through successive cycles in line with the duration and depth of the consultation. Some of those structures must be on the market, but only the NormaTec capabilities a patented pulse rubdown sample, which is superior to just squeezing the muscle groups. The technology is backed by technology, and pro cycling teams use it, including Rally UHC Cycling. Nevertheless, the “message” you get from compression sleeves isn’t quite like that of a rubdown therapist, as it does not cross deep into the muscle groups. So their jobs are safe for now. Or are they? Keep studying…
4. Theragun G3 Pro ($599)
Some power devices in your garage have been changed with a rubber ball. The latest Theragun—the new G3 Pro version, which will be released in January—is a fast-recuperation weapon. If the NormaTec gadget (above) is a system gun, that is a sniper. It’s known as a percussive remedy. It combines an effective electric-powered motor at two a hundred RPMs with a spread of rubber attachments to offer deep muscle comfort and recovery. The unit feels heavy, which is due to the way it was designed. For example, don’t press it into the muscle groups when working out the quadriceps from a seated function. The Theragun floats on your legs, with its weight offering just enough stress. It would help if you guided it up and down the muscle institution. The shaft can be rotated to reach different muscle tissue at several angles. An accomplice cell app offers you techniques for each muscle group. The package includes a spare battery, battery charger, journey case, and choice of attachments designed for all muscle businesses.
5. WHOOP Fitness Membership ($18/mo)
Any statistics scientist will let you know that raw records are useless. But when the information tells a tale, it will become facts. It turns into treasured, actionable. It turns into gold. That’s what the WHOOP platform is mining and refining. It starts with the WHOOP Strap 2.0, a health tracker worn at the wrist. Five sensors measure heart fee (HR), coronary heart charge variability (HRV), ambient temperature, and movement for one hundred instances per 2d. The Strap is attached to the WHOOP mobile app through Bluetooth, which captures all the facts and transmits them to the cloud for evaluation.
The output falls into three interconnected buckets: strain, recovery, and overall sleep performance. First, it measures how much stress you undergo on a given day using heart rate (common and most) as the proxy; this is represented on a 21-point scale. Next, it measures sleep overall performance based totally on general time asleep, time inside the person’s sleep stages (mild, REM, deep), a range of disturbances, and more. This is represented as a percentage based on how much you want. Finally, the key stat is the restoration rating. Also measured on a percent basis, that is how nicely your frame has recovered from the day gone by’s stress and how ready it’s miles for the new day. The KPIs right here are resting heart charge (RHR) and HRV. A low RHR and high HRV indicate that your frame has recovered and is ready for high strain degrees.
What’s precise about WHOOP, however, is that it makes clear pointers about how much sleep you need and how prepared your body is for stress, whether that be jogging, biking, or going to the health club. It empowers you to make sensible choices about your fitness and recovery using data to capture and analyze on a 24/7 basis. This is truly the next era of the fitness tracker.
Note: I’ve integrated these healing methods into my everyday training routine. I’ll preserve to record how these technologies perform for staying power cycling. My 2019 software will culminate via competing in the annual Breck Epic mountain cycling degree race in Breckenridge, Colorado, August 11 – sixteen.
